Since 1976, the village of Srostki has annually held the Shukshin Days, timed to coincide with Shukshin’s birthday. The festival is the main cultural event in the Altai Region. Every July, dozens of thousands of people from all over Russia gather in the home village of the renowned writer and film director.
Traditionally, the celebration begins with the opening of an art exhibition that takes place in the museum. Reciters and theatre companies perform in front of the building while a concert is held at the stadium, involving both Russian and international teams. The Shukshin Days end with the guests ascending to Mount Piket to join readings in this natural amphitheatre. This part of the festival is a must-do, whatever the weather conditions.
Sixty years after Shukshin was born, in 1989, an organizing committee was set up to prepare and hold the Shukshin Readings. The committee included Renit Grigoryev, a film director and secretary of the board at the USSR Cinematographers’ Union; Alexei Makarov, doctor of philological sciences from the Institute of World Literature; teachers and researchers from Altai State University and Biysk Pedagogical Institute; as well as writers from the Altai Region and senior officials from the Biysk City Executive Committee and the Biysk District Executive Committee. The readings’ motto was Ahead of His Time.
A book fair opened on the village’s streets in the morning of 23 July. Later, a memorial stone was unveiled along with the museum’s new building — the school where Shukshin had studied and worked. During these days, the museum also hosted the exhibition Shukshin, His Land and People, showcasing works of artists from Moscow, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, and Barnaul, while Mount Piket saw a literary discussion There Is Truth! Shukshin’s sister, Natalya Zinovyeva, and his widow Lidiya Fedoseyeva-Shukshina performed before the audience. Shukshin’s daughters Maria and Ekaterina also attended the readings.
In the photo, the writer’s widow and the Shukshin Readings’ guests climb Mount Piket. Among them are actress Lyubov Sokolova, writer Viktor Astafyev, actor Alexander Pankratov-Chyorny, and Chairman of the Srostky Village Council Alexei Yadryshnikov.
Traditionally, the celebration begins with the opening of an art exhibition that takes place in the museum. Reciters and theatre companies perform in front of the building while a concert is held at the stadium, involving both Russian and international teams. The Shukshin Days end with the guests ascending to Mount Piket to join readings in this natural amphitheatre. This part of the festival is a must-do, whatever the weather conditions.
Sixty years after Shukshin was born, in 1989, an organizing committee was set up to prepare and hold the Shukshin Readings. The committee included Renit Grigoryev, a film director and secretary of the board at the USSR Cinematographers’ Union; Alexei Makarov, doctor of philological sciences from the Institute of World Literature; teachers and researchers from Altai State University and Biysk Pedagogical Institute; as well as writers from the Altai Region and senior officials from the Biysk City Executive Committee and the Biysk District Executive Committee. The readings’ motto was Ahead of His Time.
A book fair opened on the village’s streets in the morning of 23 July. Later, a memorial stone was unveiled along with the museum’s new building — the school where Shukshin had studied and worked. During these days, the museum also hosted the exhibition Shukshin, His Land and People, showcasing works of artists from Moscow, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, and Barnaul, while Mount Piket saw a literary discussion There Is Truth! Shukshin’s sister, Natalya Zinovyeva, and his widow Lidiya Fedoseyeva-Shukshina performed before the audience. Shukshin’s daughters Maria and Ekaterina also attended the readings.
In the photo, the writer’s widow and the Shukshin Readings’ guests climb Mount Piket. Among them are actress Lyubov Sokolova, writer Viktor Astafyev, actor Alexander Pankratov-Chyorny, and Chairman of the Srostky Village Council Alexei Yadryshnikov.
